- Date posted
- 2y
HOCD or not
All my brain keeps saying is how do I know if this is OCD? I know reassurance won’t help but my brain just can’t stop questioning with my HOCD anyone have any ideas on how to make it stop
All my brain keeps saying is how do I know if this is OCD? I know reassurance won’t help but my brain just can’t stop questioning with my HOCD anyone have any ideas on how to make it stop
That is the tricky thing about OCD, your ocd will make you question is it really ocd. Use this example in your ERP if you are in therapy and have an exposure on “no this isn’t ocd it’s real” and sit with the uncertainty. It is hard, just trust process and treat this just as an intrusive thought. I had the same thoughts as well and still do at times thinking is this actually ocd or not. It’s hard but I believe in you. Wish you the best in your recovery journey ❤️
I know that this can feel so hard. I always tell people that a good rule of thumb in determining if something is OCD related is to ask yourself A). does it come with a sense of urgency- like I need to KNOW right now? B). Do I feel I need certainty right now- immediacy and C). Am I feeling anxious and uncomfortable- does it feel like OCD symptoms usually make me feel? These are red flags that something probably is OCD related. Remember OCD is all about doubt- it wants to make you doubt anything and everything that is of importance to you. The idea is not to get rid of the thoughts- I know that would be nice- but everyone has similar thoughts- they bother you, likely because you have OCD- so the key here is to allow the discomfort, recognize that there will never feel like enough certainty when you have OCD and that you can still live your life. YOu can do the hard stuff.
well therapy
Also this thinking is something called meta ocd, here is a great article about it https://nocd.page.link/jR7SM1VHW9494UCB8
I struggle with HOCD or SOOCD. I’m a married young woman to an amazing husband. I’ve had this since I was 16 but it only came in flair ups. However this round started in October, and it’s been really rough and I would just break down all the time. I went up on my medication and I actually noticed a difference! My thoughts were still very present but I wasn’t really paying attention to them or giving them power. HOWEVER right when I thought I was getting better, my brain started feeling and saying to myself that I just know I am bi but you want to make excuses for it like “oh it’s normal to find someone hot since we as a society have an interpretation of what that looks like” or “I see the girl as myself and that’s what ‘turns’ me on” or “well I mean that girl looks kind of like a man” and it’s it’s making me spiral. I won’t ever come out as Bi as deep in my soul I don’t feel I am. I have always wanted to be with men sexually and romantically and that has not changed but my brain is making me believe I am and I just don’t want to admit it. Please help me, what has helped you?
So my OCD has been bad lately. I’ve been ruminating and obsessing over my sexuality again. And it just keeps getting worse. I hate it so much. I try to sit with the discomfort but then my ocd does the backdoor spike. And the groinal response is what keeps me looped. It SUCKS. I am not attracted to men, but my OCD is trying SO hard to convince me that I am. There have been days where I’m just so mentally exhausted that I “accept” what my ocd tells me and I just walk around a hollow, lethargic shell. But then I rethink it and I feel better. It feels like I can only find my TRUE self when I tire my nervous system out enough that it literally breaks down and has me suicidal and hopeless. And then accepting my OCD’s “truth” (that I’m attracted to men) feels like a burden and a chore. I woke up today from an OCD dream, tried to go back to sleep, and my stomach kept cramping bc I was so anxious and ruminating over my intrusive thoughts. I’m starting to doubt it being OCD anymore. My brain is too tired to fight and cry about it anymore.
I’ve recovered from HOCD before and got my attraction and my usual actual identity back. I was recovered from end 2022- start 2025 until I got triggered UGHHH😭 My HOCD is REALLY trying to convince me and it’s SO annoying cause I genuinely don’t want these thoughts. I know I naturally like men and always have done so. I can’t wait for my first therapy session in two days Omg! I need your advice, not necessarily reassurance, but more advice? My HOCD is throwing random “proof” I did/ saw as a child in my face, which back then had no meaning in my life and I continued to live a perfectly heterosexual life. I’ve educated myself about arousal non concordance / child’s play, but it still doesn’t remove the HOCD. I’ve read therapists great explanations on how it’s not a sexuality issue, BUT ITS AN OCD BRAIN ISSUE. So basically I’ve been straight and i will die as straight. But my ocd is still continuing with the intrusive thoughts/flashbacks. I’ve had some moments where I haven’t done as many compulsions and had less anxiety but still had those damn thoughts and I DO NOT want those damn thoughts. I have so much proof and factual/logical explanations but HOCD is still continuing to thrive. I absolutely hate this and I feel so alone. I wish there was a reset button cause I don’t want these thoughts to happen. I want a man and I stand by that. How do y’all deal with these situations? Cause sitting with the thoughts is clearly not helping.
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